Vacation Read-a-Thon

Hello lovelies!

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas- and for those who don't celebrate, I hope you are enjoying the season.

I am taking  the week after Christmas off from work (wahoooo), and I have nothing planned- we got a foot of snow last night, it's crazy. I have no plans to leave the house. So, I thought I would challenge myself and take part in a little reading binge: A Read-a-Thon if you will.  I don't need to back at work until the 3rd, plenty of time to read.

I have a few books I am hoping to get through- This TBR might seem ambitious and I don't think I'll get through every book, but these are my options.

1) Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty- I talked about the regret I had not having not read this book yet in my Five  2016 Releases I Meant to Read... I thought yes, I can redeem myself, and read it this week.


2) Winter by Marissa Meyer - I bought this book on release day (Nov 10th, 2015), and did not read it. I am reading it now though. I have a bad habit of not reading the last books in a series or trilogy. I'll buy them, but I don't read them. Time ti fight that battle.

3) The You I've Never Known by Ellen Hopkins- I actually got this one for review, and I need to get it read- soon. I am looking forward to it. I love the way Hopkins' tells a story, they are gritty and flawed.  

4) The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson- this one depends on the library. I've requested it, and I think it should come in, but we'll see.


I am pretty excited about this time off and the chance to spend the time reading. I'll talk about my progress in my December wrap up next week.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the Holidays friends.

~Happy Reading. 

Stefanie's Thoughts: Bloom by Estee Lalonde

'For me, the word "bloom" encapsulates the idea that anything is possible when you put your mind to it. It's a word that hints at becoming who you are meant to be.' Estée Lalonde

In Bloom, Estée shares the moments, people, things and life lessons that have made her who she is today and offers her tips for surviving life. Celebrate your bloom story and what makes you unique.

Life * People * Work * Beauty * Fashion * Home * Travel * Food

Hi everyone,

I'm going to be reviewing Bloom by Estee Lalonde. I guess I need to start off by saying that I didn't watch many of Estee's videos until after I picked up her book at the library; I'm like that with actually most of the YouTuber books I read/buy, I hardly watch their videos, but I get really emotionally invested in their books (I love Tanya Burr's baking book!).

So, with that being said, I really didn't know much about Estee going into Bloom, so it was nice to read about her life/ background (it was so awesome to find out she's from Canada!). I really loved the beginning chapters on how she became a YouTuber and reading about how she moved from Canada to England for love (how sweet is that)- this was something I had hardly ever heard about except in movies. I liked how she talked about her anxiety; I thought that that was a very brave thing to do.

My negatives with this one is that the fashion, makeup and food sections didn't present any new information for me. I was disappointed in this, because I was really hoping to learn more on these subjects. Now, I'm no expert on these topics but I will say I know a lot about them. But, being that Estee's entire YouTube channel is dedicated to these subjects I was hoping to get some new ideas.

The last negative for me was the travel section. I basically felt that she was bragging about all the different places she had been. Sure she did give some pointers and suggestions on what to do if you ever travel to these places. But, I don't think she presented it in the best way she could have.

My other thing too was I did find some typos throughout the book and for me that takes away the professional feel of it.

I really loved the section about bringing nature indoors. Granted this was taken away when she shows pictures of her multi-million dollar home,  and I know I'll never be able to afford to ever live in that kind of luxury.

Overall I'm split on how to rate this, which is why I gave it a three. Some sections completely lacked originality, while the home section I felt was a nice addition. With less typos I think this would have been a much better read.

3 out of 5

Until my next review,

Stefanie

Library Book Haul

Hello Friends,

I am going to let you in on a little secret- the library is a very magical place. 

I use the library ALL THE TIME. Actually, I depend on my local library for the majority of my reading material. I don't like buying books I haven't previously read. For me to commit to buying a book I need to have read it and loved it. It's both a money thing- as I don't want to spend money on something I am not going to like. But mostly it's a space thing, I have very limited space to store my books- so I need to be picky. Borrowing from the library allows me to experience so many different books- new and old.

If I hear a lot of buzz about a book, or if I know of a book I really want to read, I can request it from the library. Nine times out of ten they'll have it, and if they don't, I can request they buy it. It's rare that my library won't have the book I want. Sure, sometimes the requested book isn't available right away and I have to wait, sometimes a couple weeks, sometimes months, but it's generally pretty reasonable.

Don't believe me that the library is an amazing place with so much to offer- let me enlighten you...

I have five books out from the library at the moment and they are all 2016 releases.

Underwater by Marissa Reichardt (Jan 12th)
The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter (March 15th)
The Way I Used To Be by Amber Smith (March 22nd)
The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid (Nov 1st)
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh (May 3rd)


All five books are a three week loans. I have read one, in the middle of another. I have one week left with two (but I can renew them), and I have two and two and a half weeks with the others. My plan is to get them alllllll read.

I love the library, and I really would encourage you all to use your local library.


~Happy Reading Everyone

Five 2016 Releases I Meant to Read...

Hello friends,

As the new year approaches, one cannot help but review the past year and reflect on it. I have started this process a bit, and in doing this, I have realized that I have a read a solid number of books this past year (93 as of Dec 13th), and I am very satisfied with that number, and I have read a number of really great books, However, there are still a handful of books I had planned on reading this year, but didn't.

So, today I bring you the five 2016 releases I meant to read this year but didn't

1) Truly, Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty (July 26th)- I discovered Liane a number of years ago a devoured her books. I was really excited about the release of her newest novel. However, July came and went, and now all of a sudden it's the end of the year. I am excited to read this one. Moriarty has a way of making the mundane fun and interesting.

2) The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson (May 3rd)- I read Since You've Been Gone earlier this year and loved it. I was very eager to read her newest one. Buuuut- I forgot about it. Completely. It wasn't until I was going through someone's wish list a few weeks ago and saw it, and I was like "oh yeah.







3) A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (March 1st)- I was committed to reading more YA debuts this year. So early on I made a pretty great list of all the debuts I wanted to read. I even bought A Study in Charlotte on audio (it was on sale one day). But then I said I wasn't starting anymore series, and when I found out this was part of one, I said I needed to finish two before I could read it... and well, ya know.



4) The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer (August 16th)- I don't read a lot of non-fiction, I don't tend to really enjoy it. But I really like Amy Schumer, and I have heard good things about her memoir. I have heard it's grittier than expected. I had every intention of grabbing the audio of this book. But, I was never "in the mood."  Which kills me.

5) The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson (August 2nd)- Oh man, I was excited to read the conclusion to Mary E. Pearson's Remnant Chronicles this year. This trilogy is SO good, I was so impressed. However, when the third book came out,  early readers were giving it so many mixed reviews, I got nervous. So, I put it off. I even had the book out from the library read the first few chapters, and then stopped. This one is priority for me though for 2017. I want to know... I need to know how the story ends.




There you have it, five books I totally meant to get read this past year, but didn't. I hope you enjoyed this list. Keep an eye out for more 2016 recaps. I have a few more coming your way.

~Happy Reading Everyone.

Stefanie's Thoughts: Atlantia by Ally Condie

Can you hear Atlantia breathing?

For as long as she can remember, Rio has dreamt of the sand and sky Above—of life beyond her underwater city of Atlantia. But in a single moment, all her plans for the future are thwarted when her twin sister, Bay, makes an unexpected decision, stranding Rio Below. Alone, ripped away from the last person who knew Rio’s true self—and the powerful siren voice she has long hidden—she has nothing left to lose.

Guided by a dangerous and unlikely mentor, Rio formulates a plan that leads to increasingly treacherous questions about her mother’s death, her own destiny, and the complex system constructed to govern the divide between land and sea. Her life and her city depend on Rio to listen to the voices of the past and to speak long-hidden truths.

Hi everyone,

Mermaids. I love them (Little Mermaid movie/musical, Tera Lynn Child's series Forgive My Fins is possible my second favorite series ever). Sirens, even better because not a lot gets written about them (the last book I recall reading about sirens was Ripple by Mandy Hubbard).

I have never read a book by Ally Condie before (dystopian isn't my genre), so when I saw this one I knew I should give it a try. I waited a couple years to read it (not sure why) but look at that cover; that shell is so pretty!

I really got into this book once I got reading. The first couple chapters had me hooked. I felt like I was in Atlantia swimming around. I was picturing being in The Little Mermaid while reading. I don't think I've actually ever enjoyed descriptions this much in a while, to just fully allow yourself to go into the world and feel like you yourself are right there watching Rio.

Then after the fourth chapter I grew bored to tears. I have no idea what happened, but the story was moving along swimmingly (see what I did there) and then it felt like I was getting some fairy-tale ripoff shoved at me. I put the book down and left it for a day just to see if I could get back into it, but I just couldn't do it. It was like two different authors wrote this book, the one with all the beautiful descriptions and the initial world/ plot set up and then the author that finished up the book. I will admit though I don't think I've ever read a more enticing first chapter before.

While I didn't read the whole book I did finish it. Even after skipping whole chapters, I knew this book wasn't for me, mermaids or not. I think it's possible that maybe I didn't like this because it had a slight dystopian feel to me, maybe it's a dystopian story the entire time and I assumed it would be a fantasy since it involved sirens.

What I did like about the book was the big concept of family. I loved how close Rio was with her family. Sure I felt the reason Bay went above and left Rio below was a tad weak (almost to the point I wondered why I hadn't thought of it myself) but the fact Bay did what she did was because of family you can't fault her for that (excuse me for being sentimental there).

All in all this wasn't the book I thought it would be going in and glad I waited a bit and picked it up from the library. I still won't get over that amazing cover. How was it not about sirens! I can't say if I'll pick up another book by Ally Condie in the future. 1 1/2 stars.

Until my next review,
Stefanie

Stefanie's November Wrap Up

Another month done, November went by so quickly. Can't complain though, I enjoyed the fact we barely had any snow (and if I had it my way we'd get snow maybe December 20th and it would melt by January 4th).

 Now that it's December I feel like I can tell everyone that in between reading and work, I've been obsessively watching those cheesy made for-TV Hallmark Christmas movies since November 1st (you are right I'm lying, I did start one October 27 because Showcase aired it). I can't get enough of them even if the plots are basically the same thing with new character names and different casts. A couple of my favorite of them have been Merry Matrimony, Perfect Christmas List (with Beth Broderick, Sabrina the Teenage Witch fan for life here) and A Royal Christmas.







 If you have no idea what I'm talking about that's nothing to be ashamed of (at times I secretly wonder if I have a life when all I do for November and December is binge watch as many Christmas movies as possible). That'll have to come to an end soon since Fuller House season 2 airs so soon!

As for the books, another solid reading month for me. I tried my best to get some more books read that have been sitting on the TBR shelf for a good three years, so this month was mostly dedicated to that.

I read:

The Breakup Bible by Melissa Kantor (1 star)
Kissing Booth by Lexie Hill (3 stars)
Frosted Kisses by Heather Hepler (4 stars)
Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday (4 stars)
Love? Maybe by Heather Hepler (5 stars)
Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian (3 stars)
Jinx by Meg Cabot (re-read) (4 stars)
In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett (5 stars, here's a secret about me, I loved Carol Burnett, Went With the Wind might be one of my favorite scenes ever)
Sweet Sixteen Princess by Meg Cabot (re-read, 5 stars)
My Unscripted Life my Lauren Morrill (3 stars)
The Boy is Back by Meg Cabot (5 stars)
Gemina by Amie Kaufman (3 stars)
Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson (5 stars)

Book of the Month:
Is it possible to have a tie with three books?

The Boy is Back by Meg Cabot, Love? Maybe by Heather Hepler and Where Am I Now by Mara Wilson. If I had to pick one it would be Meg Cabot, but to be not so predictable, I'm picking Love? Maybe, there was just something so sweet and fun about it.

I'm now off to go binge some more Christmas movies and tackling a couple for TBR's before I get into my Christmas/winter reads.

Until my next review,
Stefanie

November Recap

Happy December! Only 25 days until Christmas!!

November was a pretty fun month for me. I was able to take some time off work and have a couple long weekends. Which were very welcome.  I went on a mini vacation to Edmonton, Alberta this past weekend. It was my nephew's 6th birthday and he really wanted to go on an airplane for his birthday. So, my sister, my little brother and my nephew went for 4 days. We spent the majority of the time at West Edmonton Mall, we went to the water park, the amusement park and did some Black Friday Shopping. It was pretty fun, I was also able to visit with one of my BFFs who lives out there.

A little snuggle time with my little loves after a very busy day. #familyvacation #littleloves

A photo posted by Sara (@jstanotherstory) on Nov 24, 2016 at 5:32pm PST

This is one of like 3 pictures I took on this trip.

But really, you know what November was really all about?    

The Crown

Guys, I binged this show on one of my long weekends. Mind you, it's only ten episodes, but still. This show, this show. Oh man, this show. Brilliant. I didn't think I was going to like it, I honestly thought it would be kind of boring. I sat down one day to watch a couple episodes to see how Matt Smith (like seriously- My Doctor) did as Prince Phillip. Next thing I know, I am completely hooked. The Crown was SO well done, and well researched (I think). I really was fascinated with the politics of everything, and Queen Elizabeth's internal struggle.  Watch this show. 

The Books:

Number of books completed

10 

Physical books

7

Audiobooks

3

Physical Books: 

Fling by Jana Aston (4 Stars)

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (2.5 Stars)

Trust by Jana Aston (3.5 Stars)

The Couple Next Door by Shari LaPena (2.5 Stars)

Paper Princess by Erin Watt (3 Starts) 

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt (4.5 Stars)

Baby Doll by Hollie Overton (4 Stars)

Favourite Read of the Month

This book crept up on me. I randomly saw Margot from Epic Reads talk about it, and thought I needed to get it read. Guys, you need this book in your life. It's such an amazing story. About AIDS in the 80's, when the disease was just emerging and there was a lot of fear. Tell the Wolves I'm Home is about a girl who befriends her deceased uncle's lover. It's such a beautiful story. 

Audiobooks: 

The King of Wall Street by Louise Bay (3.5 Stars) 

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom (4.5 Stars)

Indigo Nights by Louise Bay (4 Stars)

Favourite Listen of the Month

This one also surprised me. I wasn't expecting to be so moved by it. About a man who dies and who believes lived a rather "average life" but really didn't. He met so many people and influenced their lives in so many amazing ways. I loved it.

November on the Blog 

Stefanie's Thoughts: Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon

October Recap

Stefanie's October Recap

My Thoughts: The Nerdy and the Dirty by B.T. Gottfred

Stefanie's Thoughts: The Boy is Back by Meg Cabot

My Mini Thoughts: The Thriller Edition

Stefanie's Thoughts: Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Whoa, that was a long one. I hope you enjoyed.

~Happy Reading Everyone.